Violent Secret
by SourSweetTart
Summary: There's a new girl at Pacific Coast Academy, Shay Ace Mallory. She's good at sports and a great singer and guitar player. Guys are naturaly attracted to her, but there's something strange about the new girl. See inside for full summary...
1. Summary

**Summary:** There's a new girl at Pacific Coast Academy, Shay "Ace" Mallory. She's good at sports and a great singer/guitar player. Guys are naturaly attracted to her, but there's something strange about the new girl. Shay's really shy and keeps to herself a lot and seems to become uneasy when someone's yelling, especialy teachers/adulta. She even flinches when someone touches her unexpectedly. Despite all this, Chase has developed feelings for the new girl and begins to struggle to keep up his relationship with his girlfriend, Zoey. Then one day Chase finds Shay's faded red notebook and discovers her secret...


	2. Chapter 1: Jealous Meeting

**Chapter 1: Jealous Meeting**

It was a warm and sunny day at Pacific Coast Academy. It was Sunday, so most of the students were using this time to bask in the brilliant sunlight, hang out with friends, and blow off their homework until the night. Zoey, Chase and Nicole were gathered on a small blanket in the grass as they chatted animatedly amongst themselves.

"I feel so left out." Nicole whined to Zoey, "You and Chase are together and so are Logan and Dana! I wish I had a boyfriend."

Chase laughed, wrapping his arm around Zoey's waist as she giggled.

"Come on Nicole. A lot of guys want to go out with you. You just haven't found the right one yet." Zoey said as she looked up at Chase, snuggling closer to him, "Like I have."

Nicole sighed and glanced around at the other students. Eversince Chase and Zoey got together she had felt like a 3rd wheel when she hung around them. They were always hugging, kissing, and making love-eyes at each other. Blah. As Nicole scanned the crowds her eyes landed on a girl she had never seen before. The girl had short chin length black hair with blue highlights as her short bangs shaded one of her eyes.

_"I must get the name of her hair stylist!"_ Nicole thought as she continued to examine the new girl.

The girl was sitting by herself underneath a tree strumming a few chords on a guitar as she ocasionaly wrote something down in a notebook that was by her side. Nicole couldn't see her face but that was no matter. She just judged the girl on her style instead.

_"A pair of faded whitewashed jeans, ripped at the knees with a cute dark blue tanktop/midrif that has an adorable design across the chest and a pair of blue flipflops."_ Nicole thought before muttering, "I wonder who she is..."

"What was that Nicole?" Zoey asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh, I was just looking at that girl over there. I've never seen her around before."

Chase and Zoey followed Nicole's gaze to the new girl sitting beneath the tree.

"I don't know. Why don't we go say hey? It looks like she doesn't have many friends." Chase suggested, looking back at his girlfriend.

Zoey nodded in agreement and the small group stood up and made their way over to the new girl. As they got closer they started to hear soft singing coming from the girl's mouth.

"_Tough love, heart break, why does it have to work this way... _Dang that line still doesn't sound right." The girl wrote something in her notebook again.

Zoey cleared her throat, trying to get the girl's attention as she intertwined her and Chase's fingers. Chase was too busy listening to the girl's singing to notice. She had a beautiful voice. The girl jumped at the sound of Zoey clearing her throat and her grip tightened on her pen as she continued to scribble something down in her faded red notebook.

"Just a minute." She said quietly as she finished her writing and closed her notebook.

The girl looked up at the group and Chase felt his heart skip a beat. She was beautiful. The girl's eyes were a shocking ice blue and her smooth porcelin(sp?)-like skin seemed to make her heart-shaped face shine in the sunlight.

"Can I help you?" The girl asked politely as her eyes trailed over to Chase and a small smile appeared on her rosey lips, but it quickly faded once she saw his and Zoey's hands clasped together.

"Actually, my friends and I saw you over here sitting alone and decided to come over and say hey. Are you new here at PCA?" Zoey rose an eyebrow at Chase's slightly gaping mouth and gave him a sharp, discreet kick in the shin.

"Yes I'm new. My name's Shay." Shay replied meekly.

Chase ignored Zoey's kick as he smiled at Shay, "I'm Chase. This is Zoey and this is Nicole. Welcome to PCA."

Zoey glared at Chase as she shot a comment at Shay, "Yes welcome."

"Thank you. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to my song."

Shay opened her notebook again before going back to strumming on her guitar, singing the lyrics softly. She ignored Zoey, Chase, and Nicole as they walked back over to the spot they were sitting before.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zoey snapped at Chase as she pulled away from him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"N-nothing. Nothing's wrong with me. Zoey why are you freaking out?" Chase asked, obviously confused.

"Why am I freaking out? You're the one who was drooling over Shay!" Zoey said angerly while still keeping her voice down to prevent from being overheard.

"I was not!" Chase protested, "Zoey, you know you're the only girl for me. I would never look at another girl with as much feeling as I have for you."

Zoey rolled her eyes before standing up and storming off. How dare Chase look at another girl! Nicole and Chase watched Zoey walk off, Chase feeling like a lousy jerk.

"Well," Nicole said, turning back to Chase, "I thought Shay was nice."

Chase groaned. He stood up and ran after Zoey, leaving Nicole along on the blanket.

"What did I say?" Nicole said, sincerely confused as she ran after her two friends.

**End of Chapter**

_**Author's Note: **Nothing much yet, but please comment if you wish. More drama to come!_


	3. Chapter 2: Ace

_**Author's Note:** This chapter contains some basketball language and terms. I'll try to make it as simple as I can without sounding babish to those of you who enjoy the sport. Sorry for any confusion. If you have any questions E-mail me t: Hope you enjoy this chapter and pleaz comment._

**_Disclaimer:_** (_I know I should've posted this earlier but I'm going to post it now so please pay attention to it!) **Shay (AKA Ace) is my character as are her song lyrics. Luke is also my character. They belong to me though the other characters do not. Please do not copy/steal my characters and/or my song lyrics. Thanx.**_

**Chapter 2: Ace**

It was late Sunday afternoon and a rough basketball game was going on down at the basketball court. Chase was sitting off on the sidelines, an extra player. He was still upset over his and Zoey's fight earlier that morning and he felt guilty because his thoughts kept drifting back to Shay. Her song...Her voice...Her smile...Her beautiful eyes... Chase shook his head violently to rid himself of the thoughts. He was dating Zoey not Shay. He shouldn't even be thinking about Shay.

At that moment Shay Mallory appeared at the side of the basketball court dressed in a pair of dark blue shorts and tight tank top. She waited on the sidelines until the ball bounced out of bounds. Shay picked up the ball as Logan and the rest of the guys came running over to retrieve it.

"Room for one more?" Shay asked, her voice as calm and quiet as it had been that morning.

"Can you actually play?" Logan challenged as he stiffled a laugh.

Shay nodded, "Just give me a chance. If I don't play up to your standards then just tell me and I'll quit."

"Fine. Chase!" Logan yelled over his shoulder, causing Shay to wince involuntarily.

"I've got Chase. Luke, you got...what's your name again?" Logan looked at Shay as he talked to a tall raven haired boy who was dressed in all black with his arms covered in tatoos.

"Shay."

"Right. Luke you get the girl. Now let's play." Logan snatched the ball from Shay's hands and headed back out onto the court, the group of players close behind.

Chase trotted up to guard Shay as Luke and Logan checked the ball.

"Good luck." He said to her as he got down in defensive position.

"Thanks." Shay smiled at him, causing Chase to feel his heart skip a beat again, "Good luck to you too."

Chase was so distracted by Shay's smile he didn't notice what was going on around him until Shay caught the ball and drove around him, making an easy layup. A series of "Ooohhh"s and "Dang..."s erupted from the players. All except for Logan, who scowled at Chase.

"Come on! Can't you guard a girl?" He snapped, throwing his shoulder into Chase on his way to retrieve the ball.

Chase sighed and jogged down the court where the other players were already waiting for Logan to bring the ball up. He ran to his post position where Shay was waiting to guard him.

"Nice shot." Chase commented as he got into position for the ball.

Shay didn't reply as she followed Chase as he cut out to the three point line, catching a pass from Logan. He squared up to the basket, keeping the ball on his hip as he looked for an opprtunity to pass or dribble. But Shay was blocking him from dribbling and no one was open for a pass. Chase knew he was a good 4 inches taller than Shay, who was rather small for her age, and decided to take a shot. He pulled the ball off his hip and shot the ball, feeling confident it would go in. The ball had just been released from Chase's hand when Shay jumped up and swatted it out of the air. The ball bounced a few feet away, but Shay was quick to grab it and dribble down the court. She stopped at the three point line and pulled up a nice jumper. The ball sailed through the air in a perfect arc before swishing through the net. Chase stood dumbfounded along with the rest of his team as Shay's team whooped.

"Nice shot Ace!" Luke shouted as he picked up the ball and tossed it to Logan, who was glaring at Chase.

The nickname was picked up by the rest of the guys and soon they were all calling Shay, "Ace", everytime she stole the ball or made a basket.

"Great layup Ace!"

"Yeah Ace!"

"Nice steal Ace!"

"Awesome swish Ace!"

Shay's face seemed to glow everytime she heard the nickname. She was finally being accepted and it felt awesome. The game went on until it became too dark to see the basket and all the players were dog-tired and dripping in sweat.

"I'll see ya tommorow Logan. I'm heading off to bed." Luke said as he picked up his basketball, "Good game Ace." He added as he walked off.

Luke was followed by the rest of the players each saying a quick "Good game Ace" or "Great playin' Ace" as they walked past Shay. Soon it was only Chase and Shay left on the court. She gave him a shy smile.

"Good game." Shay said in her usual quiet tone as she fell into step beside Chase.

"I should be telling you that. You were awesome. Where did you learn to play like that?"

She hesitated before answering, "It was just something I picked up when I wasn't writing or practicing one of my songs."

It amazed her how easy it was to lie in order to avoid topics about her dad. Chase nodded as he walked Shay up to the girls dorm entrance.

"Look," Shay said as she turned to face Chase, "I'm really sorry for screwing things up with you and your girlfriend. I'll go talk to her if you want."

Chase blinked, confused. It took him a few moments to remember his and Zoey's fight. He hadn't thought about her since right before Shay showed up to play ball.

"How did you know about our fight?"

"I accidently overheard you two arguing. I'm really sorry."

"Shay, you don't really have to do anything. I mean, it's not your fault."

Shay sighed as she hugged her elbows, avoiding making eye contact, "It feels like it is and I just hate it when people argue. Hate it. Look, I'm just sorry okay?"

She turned from Chase and made to open the door, but he took hold of her shoulder. Shay winced and pulled away. They locked eyes for a moment before Shay yanked open the door and ran inside the girls dorm, racing up the stairs as quietly as she could. Chase stood dumbfounded something was wrong with Shay. There was something definately wrong with her. With these thoughts swimming in his head, Chase walked off to the boys dorm.

**End of Chapter**


	4. Chapter 3: Breakdown

_**Author's Note: **Thanx 2 everyone for their reviews. I never thought I'd get so many. :)_

_Callmemaddy: I didn't mean to make Zoey sound like a "jerk" in Chapter One. I wanted to emphasize the point of how much Chase liking another girl while he has a girlfriend is 1. upsetting to Zoey and 2. Just morally wrong for him. Sry if it came off as that and thank for adding me to your favorite author's list. I'm really flattered._

**Chapter 3: Breakdown**

It was nearly six in the morning when Shay dragged herself out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom. She pulled off the clothes she had worn playing basketball the night before and turned the shower on cold. Chase was such a sweetie. Why did she have to be such a jerk to him last night? Shay sighed, running her fingers through her hair. The other girls would be up in another half hour and she wanted to be out of the dorms by then. Maybe squeeze in some song practice before classes start.

Shay stepped into the shower and closed her eyes as the water ran down her body in little rivers. They caressed her hips and every curve gently as she lathered herself with soap and watched the bubbles be washed away, taking the makeup with it. As Shay washed her hair and the water continud to wash the soap away, her bruises began to show. Their purple shades, shapes and sizes all as different as their positions. From her forearms to her legs to her stomach. Shay ran her fingers along the jagged dark pink scar across her flat stomach, wincing at the memory.

_She couldn't take the abuse anymore and had run off, thinking she could get away for good. But he found her and was furious. He took her home once the police departed and drew out a knife as his screams echoed off the walls. She had tried to run. She tried. But he caught her and...and..._

Tears rolled down Shay's cheeks and mixed with the soapy water as she covered her mouth with her hand to silent her sobs. She leaned back against the shower wall and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor tile.

_There was blood...lots of blood. It stained her clothes, the wall, and carpet. There were sirens and flashing lights. She heard her dad tell the officer how she tried to commit suicide and he had stopped her. Yeah right. The pain in her side was throbbing, each time gushing more and more blood. The color red was blinding and the sound of the ambulance sirens was deafening. She thought she was going to die. _

More and more tears streamed from Shay's ice blue eyes as she sobbed quietly into her hand, reliving that hell-like night. The cold shower water pounded lightly against her bruised legs as her body trembled from her crying.

_The next thing she remembered after the blood and sirens was waking up in the stark white hospital room. There seemed to be more than a dozen machines attached to her. Everything was quiet and she thought she was safe...until she saw him there. She wanted to scream, "He did this to me! He'll do it again! Someone help me! Someone get him away from me!" But she knew he would just say she was a crazy teen, blinded by my hormones and making up stories. They'd end up believing him and then he just take her home and beat her worse than before. "Great. You're awake." He sneered as he came to her bed side, "Now get up. We're leaving." She tried to sit up, but she had no energy from her blood loss. That was no obstacle for him. He just jerked her out of bed by her hair, the machines pulled painfully from her arms as he did so. He snuck her out of the hospital and back home...where he...where he beat her again before going out to get drunk. She cried, feeling so ugly...and so worthless. She stumbled into the bathroom and took a pair of scissors. Her long black hair fell right before her eyes with each 'snip'. Soon she was left with the short hair cut she had now. Her father had been furious when he found out...more furious than usual..._

There was a knock on the bathroom door followed by Zoey's voice, "Please hurry. I really need to use the bathroom."

Shay quickly stood up, turned off the shower, and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her. She gathered her clothes and wiped at her eyes. She'd have to finish getting ready in her room. Shay opened the bathroom door and ran out before Zoey had a chance to get a good look at her and her bruises.

Once Shay was safetly locked in her dorm room, she tossed her clothes into a hamper and dried herself off before slipping on her under garments. She dug out a large bottle of coverup and proceeded to cover up each of her bruises, from head to toe. This was a ritual she had to go through every morning. Shay soon finished and quickly hid the bottle before pulling on a pair of whitewashed shorts, frayed at the bottom and a light blue tanktop with the same blue flipflops she wore the day before. After blowing drying her hair and styling it like she usually did, Shay grabbed her bookbag and quickly left the dorm before she had a chance to break out in tears again.

**End of Chapter**


	5. Chapter 4: Feelings Revealed

_**Author's Note: **Thanx to everyone for the replies!_

**Chapter 4: Feelings Revealed**

It was late Monday afternoon, three weeks since Shay's first day at Pacific Coast Academy. Classes were over and the last lingering students were beginning to head inside. The sun had already started to set, making the sky a canvas for the luminous reds, yellows, and oranges.

_Bounce...Bounce...Swish! _

_Bounce...Bounce...Swish! _

_Bounce...Bounce..._

Shay pulled up another jump shot from the three point line, _swish!_ She retrieved the ball, dribbling twice before shooting again, _swish! _The ball rolled out of bounds and into a nearby bush. Shay sighed as she went to get the ball. She got down on her knees and slid her a little bit of her upper body under the bush, reaching for the bright orange basketball. At that moment she felt someone lay their lower hand on her back and she jerked out from under the bush and out of the person's reach, clutching the ball to her chest.

"Whoa!" Chase said, holding his hands up as if to say 'I surrender', "I was just seeing if you needed any help getting the ball back."

Shay felt her fast-paced heart slow as she discovered it had only been Chase, "You startled me is all. Sorry for freaking out."

"No it's okay. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"You're so sweet." Shay said with a small, shy smile as her cheeks turned pink, "Want to shoot around with me?"

She tossed Chase the ball and he barely caught it, him being too distracted by Shay's first comment.

"Uh...sure."

Chase dribbled out to the free throw line as Shay waited by the basket for the rebound. He pulled up a smooth jumper and the ball sailed through the air, but bounced off the front of the rim with a firm _bing!_.

"You need to follow through. You're shooting flat." Shay advised as she retrieved the ball and tossed it back to Chase.

Chase nodded, dribbled the ball a few times, and pulled up another jump shot. This time, the basketball flew in a perfect arc before settling in the net. Shay caught the ball as it fell through the net.

"Nice shot." She commented with a smile as she dribbled out to the three point line and prepared to shoot again.

"Thanx, but I'll never be as good as the unstoppable Ace." Chase replied jokingly.

Shay laughed as the ball left her hand, arcing in the air, before swished through the net. Chase smiled. It was the first time he heard her laugh and he felt his stomach do a flip when he heard it. The sound was so heavenly, he wondered why she didn't laugh more. Then, he felt guilty for even thinking these thoughts. Zoey was his girlfriend, not Shay. Never Shay. Zoey was who he should be thinking about. They had just made up two weeks ago and he didn't want to do something that could jeopardize their relationship. Chase was knocked out of his thoughts, literaly. The ball bounced right off Chase's head.

"Oh! Are you okay?" Shay said worriedly as she trotted up to Chase.

"I think so." Chase winced as his hand flew up to the bruise/bump forming on his forehead.

"Here sit down." Shay led Chase over to a bench and sat him down before sitting down beside him, "Let me take a look."

She gently removed Chase's hand and examined the small injury. Her and Chase's faces were only inches apart and as soon as she noticed, Shay pulled away, blushing.

"I-it's n-nothing major. I'm really s-sorry." Shay stumbled over her words.

"It's fine really." Chase locked eyes with Shay.

He felt his heartbeat quicken as the one thing he wanted to do in his mind turned into his action. Chase leaned forward and kissed Shay. Zoey was the farthest thing from his mind at that moment, but what was on his mind was how Shay would react as he drew back from her. He instantly felt his cheeks flame.

"I-I...I mean...I'm sorry...I..."

Shay cut him off with a soft kiss. Chase felt his heart soar as he kissed her back, putting a hand on her waist. He had kissed Zoey before, of course, but it was nothing like this. Kissing Shay felt...felt...there were no words to describe it. Then, just as quickly as it started, it ended. Shay pulled away and stood up, backing away from Chase.

"We shouldn't be doing this. You have a girlfriend Chase."

"Shay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come on to you." Chase stood up and walked towards her.

"It's not like I didn't enjoy it. I really like you and all. It's just...what about Zoey? She really likes you too and I don't want to break you two apart. Chase," Shay sighed, "If this is what's going to happen when we get together than I think it might be a good idea for us not to see eachother and just not be friends anymore."

It was obvious Shay didn't like the idea and Chase didn't either, but there was no other way to ensure he didn't wind up cheating on Zoey. He really cared about her. But he cared for Shay a lot too. Chase nodded solemnly, too choked up to speak. The thought of not talking to or hanging around Shay hurt a lot. It hurt more than when he caught Zoey and Logan together last semester.

"I'm glad you understand. I'll miss you." Shay whispered as she gave Chase a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and running off to the girls dorm, leaving her bookbag and basketball behind.

**End of Chapter**


	6. Chapter 5: Discovery and Heartbreak

_**Author's Note:** Thanx to everyone for the replies!_

_Starburst87: I appreciate the criticism, it shows where I need to improve, but I don't understand your comment about Shay sounding "ugly". And as for making Zoey sound like the jealous type, I'll tell you what I told Callmemaddy, I only did that to put emphasise on the fact that Chase go after another girl while he's in a relationship with Zoey was wrong. In this fanfic, Zoey is betrayed more jealous than she usually is. If this is a problem than I'd have to advise you not to continue. Though, I'd hope you will continue reading._

**Chapter 5: Discovery and Heartbreak**

"I better get these back to Shay."

Chase picked up Shay's basketball and walked over to her blue bookbag. As he picked up the bag it fell open and Shay's faded red notebook fell out. The notebook opened to a page somewhere in the middle.

"Oops."

Chase kneeled down to pick it up and as he did so, some writing on the page caught his eye. He knew he shouldn't, but maybe this notebook would give him some more insight to what made Shay tick. So, despite his mind telling him 'no', Chase sat down on the bench with the notebook and, starting from the begining, began to read through it. The first half of the book was dedicated entirely to writing songs.

"_She's really talented._" Chase thought as his eyes read over each verse and the many notes and crossouts.

But as soon as he got halfway through the notebook, the songs turned to blank pages and then finally to diary entries. Most of which were smudged with tear stains. Chase read through them and was shocked at what he found.

_Happy Father's Day! Happy. Yeah right. Today was hell. I've been working my butt off for the past few months at that revolting, degrading returaunt for extra cash. I finally had enough to buy dad a Father's Day gift, a beautiful leather-band watch. I even had it engraved. So today I gave him the gift and he totaly flipped. He started screaming that he wanted golf clubs, not a watch, GOLF CLUBS..._

Most of the entries were all similar to this one. Shay's dad getting angry with her over something trivial...him screaming...him hitting her...Shay's crying... Chase couldn't believe Shay kept this inside for so long. As he kept reading, Chase watched as Shay's writing about her father and his abuse turned to PCA.

_It's been two weeks since I started here at PCA and I'm really enjoying it here. I never want to go back home. The guys here have all started calling 'Ace'. All of the guys, that is, except for one. Chase. sigh Chase is so sweet...and cute...and just a great guy. Too bad he has a girlfriend. She's so lucky to have him. Chase and I've been friends for a little while and it feels pretty weird having a feelings for him so soon. I don't think he'd even look at another girl besides Zoey. One can only dream. But even if Chase liked me that way, we could never get together. Dad would beat me to no end. I can never have any friends. Never. I can't let myself get wrapped up in feelings. It'll be too painful once I have to let go..._

"What are you doing?"

Chase looked up from the notebook to find Shay staring at him, a look of horror on her face. He stood up, closing the book.

"Shay, I..I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"You shouldn't have read it." Shay said shakily as she took her notebook from Chase's hands.

"I'm sorry. I was just curious. I had no idea..."

"You can't tell anyone. No one."

Pure fright shone in Shay's eyes as she stared at Chase. He knew her secret and she felt so vulnerable. So exposed. Like she was standing naked in front of him.

"I won't." Chase tried to reassure her, feeling hurt at the thought of what she had to go through.

"Promise me."

"I promise."

An uneasy silence fell between the two. Shay clutched her notebook to her chest, avoiding Chase's eyes. And it was Chase who broke the silence.

"Shay, he shouldn't be doing that to you. You don't deserve it."

Shay closed her eyes. She was determined not to cry in front of Chase. No, she couldn't cry. But, despite her efforts, the tears slid out from underneath her eyelids. Chase noticed and soon had his arms around her. Shay didn't pull away, but instead leaned against his chest.

"You don't understand. He's my dad, Chase." She said through quiet sobs.

Chase wrapped his arms tighter around her, "That's no excuse. You shouldn't have to go through that."

Shay cried harder into Chase's chest. Chase gingerly led her to a soft patch of grass, with his arms still around her, and sat down. He pulled the crying Shay closer. The two sat like that for a long time, until Shay's tears finally subsided.

"I'm sorry for sitting here crying like a fool." She said as she wiped at her eyes.

"No. It's okay. You had all right to cry."

Shay managed a small smile before adjusting herself so her back was pressed up against Chase's chest with his arms wrapped around her waist. She leaned her head back against him and looked up at Chase's face.

"You're such a good friend, Chase." Shay whispered.

"I'll always be here for you when you need me." Chase whispered back as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Chase! Logan said I'd find you..." Zoey stopped midsentence as her eyes took in the scene in front of her, "What are you doing!"

Shay scrambled out of Chase's arms and onto her feet as Chase rose to his feet as well.

"Zoey. I-I...It's not what it looks like. Shay was just upset...and I thought I'd comfort her..." Chase tried to explain.

"Upset? What was she upset about?" Zoey asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

She looked angry and acted angry, but inside Zoey was more hurt than anything. Ever since that first day they met Shay, Zoey had been scared to death of Chase cheating on her with the new girl. They had been hanging out together more. Chase would ignore Zoey and tell her he was doing one thing and then she'd discover that he had snuck off with Shay to play basketball or what not. She had trusted him. And here it was, her trust violated. It took all Zoey could to keep from running off to cry. The feelings of betrayl and heartbrokenness swelled up in her chest as she stared at Chase, waiting for his answer and fearing the worse.

Chase looked at Shay, whose eyes were still red from crying. He knew he couldn't tell Zoey the truth. He had promised Shay.

"I-I-I can't tell you." Chase said quietly.

Zoey pursed her lips and nodded slowly, her eyes glazing over. She blinked a few times to keep from crying and stared at her boyfriend and then to Shay.

"You can't tell me." Zoey took a deep breath, "Chase, I think we need to talk. Alone."

Shay caught the hint and nodded. She grabbed her notebook, bookbag, and basketball and walked up to the girls dorms. As soon as she was gone, Zoey turned her attention back to Chase.

"Chase, this just isn't working. I've tried trusting you, despite all that's been going on, and this just made it worse." Zoey paused to wipe away a tear that had slipped out involuntary, "I can't deal with it anymore. I really like you, but if I can't even trust you, then I just don't think we can stay together. And look at what you were doing."

"But, Zoey..."

"No." Zoey held up a hand to silence Chase, "It's over. Good-bye."

And with that Zoey turned and ran off, tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving Chase alone to think over what happened.

**End of Chapter**


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